Surprises and Tribulations
by Honourable Fool
Summary: DuoxHilde - After a long day at work and an argument, Duo finds Hilde to be strangely pampering. Has he missed something? Will he figure out what's going on before he messes things up? Rating may change. 1 chapter to go!
1. Part One: TakeOut for Two

AN/ Think I need to just get this off my chest!

Standard Disclaimer Applies. Looks at Heero and Duo and Quatre and Milliardo and... Curse you Sunrise!

Surprises and Tribulations

Part One: Take-Out for Two

By: Honourable Fool

* * *

Duo sighed as he flopped himself onto the couch. What a day! Hours at the shop working on everything from a kids radio to a sweet, antique Harley Davidson recreation from the 1990's! The guy had bought it on the internet but had hit a problem he couldn't fix. Turned out the engine was bust! He was not happy when he found out he had been gypped, and it took Duo about ten minutes to calm him down enough to explain he could replace it. The guy was all grateful – until he heard the price! Man! It wasn't his fault! A guy's gotta eat, you know! And steak was getting expensive these days…

He considered turning on the TV for a moment, but realized his arms were way too tired to reach the remote sitting a full foot and half away from him on the coffee table. Life was tough some days. And hadn't even had the chance to drop by the salvage yard to see how Hilde was doing!

He kicked off his shoes, leaving them in the middle of the living room floor, and lay back on the couch, throwing his feet up into the air and allowing them to fall back down with a poff on the deep green cushion. His breath lifted his fringe away from his eyes for a moment as he breathed out heavily, only to have them fall back down, tickling his nose. Hilde had been threatening to cut them again. He didn't mind trimming his bangs, but as soon as she got those scissors in her hands she would start eyeing his braid. There was no way in hell she was coming near his hair with scissors! She claimed it was unruly, getting absolutely everywhere! But he didn't see the problem as long as he kept it in a braid. To be honest he liked the feel of the long plait hanging down his back as he worked on something, occasionally having to flick it back over his shoulder when it fell too far forward. He didn't mind. It had been his companion for so long the idea of parting with it made him shudder. And some days Hilde would get that look in her eye and he was always sure she was about to pull a Delilah.

He hummed to himself at the thought, putting his hands up behind his head and closing his eyes. She would never dare. Besides, he was sure she secretly liked his hair.

The sound of the door broke his thoughts. He sat up on the couch, his face splitting into a huge grin as Hilde walked into sight. She stopped in the doorway to the living room, hand raised to pull her little plum beret off her head. Duo was about to throw a greeting her way when he noticed her eyes widen a little, staring at him. He paused, mouth agape, a frown collecting on his brow in small folds. And then her eyes met his, fire burning in them, and it hit him. He jumped up from the couch as if he'd been electrocuted and looked cautiously over at his girlfriend.

"Duo!" She half yelled. "How many times have I told you not to sit on the couch without changing your clothes!"

He winced at her. He had been so tired after his long day he had completely forgotten the layers of grease and sweat and who knows what else that had been collecting on his clothing all day. An idea occurred to him. "Hil," he said in playful tones, giving her one of his trademark, throw-away smiles. "Look, I…" but she cut him off.

"I don't wanna hear it." Her voice was flat with exhaustion, her raised hand rubbing her eyes instead. He felt a twinge of guilt as he watched her, glancing over at the dark spots he had left behind and hanging his head like a scolded child.

"Babe," He tried again, no smile this time, only a reconciling look. "It's nothing…" But that was the wrong thing to say.

Her eyes flew open at his words, the fire back in them. He felt a momentary jolt thrill through his body at the sight. He did love how fiery she got sometimes. "Nothing! Duo Maxwell!" He winced convulsively as she hollered. If he had had a middle name she would've used that too. She took a few steps into the living room and it was all he could do not to back away in terror. Her rage was the worst when she was tired just after getting home from work. "Three couches! Three! That's how many you've ruined because you never listen to me!"

"Well if we'd gotten a black one like I wanted to this wouldn't be a problem." As soon as the words left his mouth he backed up a few steps, cursing himself for speaking before thinking. That was how he always got into the doghouse with Hilde.

Her eyes were raging at him. They'd had this argument a hundred times, each time worse than the one before. He felt his doom was at hand if he didn't come up with something soon. His mind raced, throwing away countless funny comments that would have only dug him deeper. Why was that all he could think of. "Go to your room!"

His jaw dropped. He couldn't believe she had just said that! "What? You can't…" His voice faltered at her look and he knew it was the best thing to do. She was tired and anything that could come from him would only make things worse, and she would end up saying something she'd regret. For a moment he wondered how he could do what she said and still keep his dignity without really getting it from her later. He settled on a casual shrug, lacing his fingers behind his head. Walking casually past her seething form and out into the hall, he muttered loudly, "Not goin' cause I was told. Just got nothin better to do."

He sensed her turning to yell at him again, but had already dashed into his room and closed the door before she could. One good thing about being quick and stealthy was that he could always run from a fight when he had to. Normally he wasn't a coward. In a fist fight he'd have no problem sticking it out. But Hilde was another story.

Duo sighed, leaning casually against his door, a secretive smile playing devilishly at the corners of his lips. Yea, she was his little spitfire. Sometimes she was so irresistibly cute, especially when she got all riled up. And that temper of hers…

He shook his head quickly to drive away those thoughts. No point in getting himself all worked up. He'd just end up taking care of it himself, and that was never as much fun.

Pushing himself off the door he walked over to the mirror above his dresser, peering casually at his image. He jumped a little. No wonder Hilde had flipped! He could clearly see fresh grease and sweat stains on his working clothes along with a greenish tinged one that he thought might be cleaning fluid and completed with a great big smudge of dirt extending from his nose to half way across his cheek. He even detected some filth in his hair where he had scratched his head or worried his bangs in consternation. He was filthy!

Another sigh escaped his lips as he gave his reflection a crooked look. He'd have to concede defeat on this one and apologize to Hilde. Oh well, he shrugged. He was a big enough man to know and admit when he was wrong.

Unzipping his jacket he headed for the bathroom that connected both their rooms. He crossed it first, still fully clothed, and checked into Hilde's room. She must still have been assessing the damage he'd done to the couch cushions, trying to decide if they were salvageable. Closing the door he gave it a push to make sure it stuck in the door frame. The doors on either side of the bathroom leading to their respective rooms had no locks. Since before they had decided to go out together, when each was sure of his or her "secret" crush on one another, they had made a game of "accidentally" walking into the bathroom at "bad times", neither one initially catching on to the fact that both of them were leaving the door slightly open on purpose, inviting the other one's "invasion". It was a game they had continued, even after they were no longer _just_ roommates. But today Hilde had yelled at him, righteously or not, and he was not about to give her the smug satisfaction of yelling at him _and_ trying to see him naked.

Duo let the water run for a minute, throwing his dirty jacket onto his bedroom floor. A moment later he had peeled off his sweaty undershirt, his pants and his boxers, and they were all untidily piled in a heap in his bedroom. Steam began to pour out from the shower as he pulled the hair tie from his braid, running his fingers through his hair to smooth out the plait. Before he had finished the mirror was entirely fogged up and the hot, moist air had filled the bathroom and was spilling into his own room.

The water always gave him goose bumps when he first stepped under it as it drove the chill from his body. But then the steam would fill his mouth, the rushing water pounding down on his head, running over his shoulders and streaming across his back, and he would relax into the heat like an old lover.

He restrained a laugh at his last thought, lest Hilde should hear the echo of it. Lover? He'd never had a lover before! And the one girl he'd honestly thought about… Hilde had already made it clear that she wasn't ready for that step in their relationship yet. And when she would be was beyond him.

He rolled his shoulders under the hot stream, allowing its natural therapeutic attributes to work at his tired muscles. It wasn't that he was in a rush, of course. He wasn't one of those kinds of guys. Most of the time he was content to love her with his actions and words, rewarded with the occasional make-out session on the couch and, if he was quick enough, a quick feely or two before she batted his hand away, her eyes half-hooded in pleasure, her movements languid and slow, as if her body was too heavy to respond. But he knew it was because she only half wanted to respond. When he kissed her neck in just the right spot, his hand resting casually yet possessively on her stomach, and she would start to whimper in the back of her throat, trying to hide it from him…

Duo shook his head. He had to stop that! As long as there was that one little half that said "No, not yet" then he couldn't even think about. That didn't mean he wouldn't, but really he shouldn't because it was only going to get him _really_ sexually frustrated, and he didn't want to frighten her when she finally said yes. Until that day – until that day he had to start thinking of ways to get her to forgive him about the couch! Again. He had completely forgotten about it, thinking about how sexy she looked when she was riled up, and then the heat from the shower… Turning reluctantly from his pleasurable train of thought he grabbed the soap, finally getting down to business. He sighed, already missing his fantasy.

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­A half an hour later Duo emerged from his room freshly laundered with a clean pair of casual denim jeans on and a black t-shirt with a patterned red and black shirt thrown over. His braid was still damp and hung heavily from the base of his neck, swinging dangerously with every turn and smacking his backside as he walked.

He had checked in Hilde's room already, but hadn't found her there. Curious, he went down the hall, checking the living room before poking his head into the kitchen. He found her sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea in her hands, staring off at nothing. He hadn't meant to be so stealthy coming down the hall, but now that he'd snuck up on her he couldn't resist using the opportunity.

Leaning against the doorframe, hands shoved easily into his pockets, Duo stared at Hilde. She was small, about a whole head shorter than he was, with pale, northern European skin and short, dark hair that seemed to have violet highlights. Her eyes were violet to match, a lovely, sad shade that gave her face a sensual look when she looked up at him through her long dark lashes, eyes set in that small fair-toned face. Her bangs hung just perfectly across her forehead, never hiding her face, unlike Duo's that he'd just brush his fingers through and where they landed they landed. She had her ankles crossed daintily under the table, her body leaning forward as though at any moment she might just fold herself in half and be perfectly content. He watched her take another sip of her steaming tea, admiring how delicately she held the hot mug between her hands. She truly was beautiful.

"Hey," he called from the doorway, a devilish grin on his face. He tried not to chuckle in delight as she started, blushing to see him standing so casually in the doorway as if he'd been there all along.

"Hey." She answered quietly, eyes staring at the floor. He frowned. That was an unusual response. He had been expecting (and looking forward to) her taking one look at him and giving him a huff of annoyance, letting him know she was still mad at him. He already knew how he'd react; walking up behind her, he'd lean against the back of her chair, leaning in close so she could smell his clean shower scent, and whisper in a deep voice that he was sorry right in her ear so that his breath would tickle her cheek. And then he'd stand upright again, and plant a soft, chaste kiss on the top of her head, and she would melt, unable to hold back her forgiveness. But this strange, meek reaction of hers was more than a mystery to him.

Pushing off from the door frame he stepped towards her, allowing his concern to show on his face. "Hil, is everything…?" But before he could finish she was speaking.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I know you were tired and didn't mean to do anything wrong. And…" she hesitated a little. "And you're right, maybe next time we should try a black couch."

Duo couldn't have been more surprised if she had started yelling at him again. In fact, he would have expected something like that. But this… Hilde never apologized, especially not when she was right. He was missing something here. Scratching his head, he responded, "No, it's alright. You were right. I should've changed first. If I'd been paying attention I would've noticed. I'm sorry too."

Hilde looked up at him finally, a deep blush covering her features. She seemed just as surprised by his apology as he had been by hers. "But…"

He stopped her. "Don't worry about it! Look, I apologized, you apologized, let's call it even." She looked like she was about to protest again, so he said, "If it'll make you feel better, I accept your apology. There, better?" He grinned at her, hands held open in a slightly goofy pose. He just wanted to make her laugh, hating to see her so upset by something stupid.

She smiled at him, seeming much more content with herself, and nodded.

"Good." He said, relieved that the worse part was over with. Clapping his hands and rubbing them together, he said, "Now, what's for dinner?"

Hilde just looked at him a moment, eyes quietly puzzled. "I didn't start anything. I wasn't too sure if you had something – _special_ planned." She said simply, her eyebrow slightly raised.

"Special?" he asked, wondering what that meant. "Hmm. Nope, can't say that I have." He snapped his fingers, pretending to just come up with an idea even though he'd been secretly wanting it all day. "Hey, how about Chinese?"

Her small smile seemed to falter a little. "Take-out?"

"Yea! Simple, yet delicious!"

"And fattening." She countered. But he was already prepared.

Leaning in close to her he said in a low but casual voice, "Yea, but _you_ don't have to worry about anything like that." He felt a soaring triumph at her blush, knowing that he had won before she even inclined her head. "Great!" he exclaimed, already rushing over to the drawer to dig out the menu for the Chinese place.

While he was still searching he heard her ask in a slightly strange voice, "Do you want to watch a movie while we eat tonight?"

He froze in his spot, registering and replaying the words in his head. Slowly he turned to face her and saw her looking straight up at him in a face perfectly serious and smiling. His face split into a grin. A moment later he had her in his arms, half lifting her off her chair, and was planting a big, sloppy kiss on her face. "Hilde, I love you!" He told her.

She laughed at him and gave him a shove that didn't actually move him, but he obeyed it anyways. He was getting the special treatment tonight! Chinese take-out in the living room with a movie _and_ his girlfriend? He had no idea what had gotten into her, but right now he didn't care!

* * *

They were sitting side-by-side on the floor, leaning against the couch. Duo had his arm around Hilde's shoulders and she had pressed herself into the curve of his body, head resting on his shoulder, hand laying on his stomach feeling the gradual rise and fall of his breaths. The movie was winding down, the dramatic music crescendoing for the credits. The remains of their dinner was still all around them, half-eaten and empty containers pushed to the sides with chopsticks sticking out pell-mell. As the screen cut to black from the final panoramic view and the endless list of names and unfathomable jobs began to roll by, Hilde stretched into him, curling even tighter and yawning, adorably cat-like.

"Well? What'd ya think?" he asked her.

She sat up beside him, supporting herself with a hand on his abdomen. The muscles there tightened as her light weight pressed against him, and he hoped she would take it to be because he was just supporting her.

"It was alright." She said non-committally.

"Alright? Hilde, are you sure you watched the same movie I did? I mean, that chase scene alone, it's classic!"

"It seemed a bit silly to me."

"Silly!" He smiled through their fake argument. It was the same one they always had whenever they watched one of his movies, and he enjoyed it every time.

"Well, yea! Just tell me, how is it that he manages to arrive at _exactly_ the right moment _every_ time? That just isn't possible! It's unrealistic."

"Of course it is! It wouldn't be so good if it were realistic!"

She smiled at his seeming lack of logic. But instead of responding with her usual come back at this point in the fake argument, she leaned forward and kissed his nose, saying, "I'm just glad you liked it."

When she leaned back he had the _look_ on his face, and as he leaned forward, she didn't protest. His lips met hers and in a moment they were wrapped around each other, her arms around his neck and shoulders, his clinging to her waist. He pulled her closer to him, running his tongue over her lips, until he actually had her sitting in his lap, small and content and curled against his chest. In this position he had to tip his head back to kiss her, but he didn't mind, as her change in environment brought on a slightly more aggressive Hilde. She opened her mouth to him, but flooded his own with her tongue before he could respond. Her hands were in his hair, rubbing his neck and caressing his chest, completely owning all of him that was within her reach. She brought both her hands into his hair, her fingers flexing against his scalp as she deepened the kiss even more, practically consuming him. His hands tingled with the sensations she was causing, and he prayed that he didn't ruin the mood because in her current position he would not be able to hide his desire from her.

And all of a sudden she broke the kiss off. Her hands were still buried in his hair, and he was pleased to note that her eyes were just as glazed over as his, but when he leaned up to capture her mouth again she moved farther back, refusing him more. He pouted at her, hoping she would think his face cute enough to give in to his desire, but she only laughed a beautiful, tinkling laugh, a sound more gorgeous than any music he'd heard before, and gave him a chaste kiss on the forehead.

A second later she had bounced off his lap, leaving his hair falling out of its plait in odd little kinks, and him sitting there feeling the cruelty of the world and women. She stopped in the doorway to look back and giggle at his dazed look.

"Wait there. I'll be right back." She told him, a mischievous glint in her violet eyes, and bounced out of sight.

'Alright,' he thought to himself. 'This confirms it. I am most definitely missing something here!' He thought about it for a moment, wondering what could have brought on the special treatment. He couldn't think of anything to explain Hilde's behavior. But as she bounced back into sight again, breathless and glowing, hands held behind her back, he decided he didn't care.

She tried to contain herself as she came over to him, kneeling at his side. He couldn't help but grin at her poorly hidden glee. "I got something for you."

He was surprised. "For me? What for?"

Hilde only laughed at him, giggling adorably. She had the cutest dimples when she laughed. "What do you think?" she asked playfully. And before he could respond she pulled out a small black package from behind her back wrapped in a red ribbon with a card. "Happy Anniversary, Duo."

He couldn't stop it. His jaw dropped.

* * *

AN/ Show of hands, who saw that coming? Hee! I hope no one did. Review and tell me if _you_ did. I wanna know, did I keep you guessing? I'll be honest, I had no idea where I was going with this until I got about four pages into it (this is page eight on my computer), and then I couldn't believe I was gonna go there! And when I did… :-D That last line made me laugh for several enjoyable minutes! I'm still giggling! Anyways, this was gonna be a oneshot, but I think I'll make it a two-parter. I have to warn you, I'm not too sure how the second chapter will work. I may have to up the rating. But anyways, this is my first DuoxHilde fic so again, please review and tell me what you think. I was pretty comfortable about writing Duo, but I'm not too sure about Hilde… As always, comments, criticisms, praise, and other forms of paraphernalia are welcome. (Bring on the flames people! C'mon, roast me! AIEEEEEEEEEEE! TT )


	2. Part Two: Midnight Phone Call

AN/ Alright, so I know I made you guys wait longer then promised for this, but I have more bad news. /ducks from hisses and rotten fruit/ But wait! I decided to be nice and throw you guys this tidbit! However, it's not the end. When I first started the second part it worked until the first break, and then it suddenly failed to work at all. I finally came up with a break through about… three days ago, but I realized as I was going that this was going to get very long. So, I decided to find a good stopping point and throw you guys a bone. It's a bit shorter, and it changes POV in the "middle", but it's something while I continue the surprisingly long ending. Hey, at least it's something!

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. I don't own anything. Seriously! I own nothing. Not even… well, anything! I hate my life.

Surprises and Tribulations

Part Two: Midnight Phone Call

By: Honourable Fool

* * *

"Hilde, c'mon babe. It's me!" Silence answered his soft knock on her bedroom door. He waited for a moment, hoping he would hear a small movement. "Hilde! Look, I'm sorry. Alright? I'm really, really sorry!" He listened again, ear pressed to the door. Still nothing. He frowned at the offending piece of wood. This was getting him nowhere. "Look, if you don't open up and talk to me I'll just break into your room." Silence. "I'll do it!" Nothing. Reaching into his braid he pulled out a black hair pin. "I'm gonna pick the lock." He called, and crouched in front of the key hole. "I'm picking the lock." He announced loudly, clicking the hair pin against the metal lock.

A moment later he heard the sound of heavy footfalls approaching the door. Quickly stowing the pin back in his hair, he stood just as the lock turned and the door was thrown open. Standing on the threshold was a small, dark haired woman with fair skin and flaming dark eyes.

Duo threw his arms out wide, cracking his biggest grin, and cried, "Hilde!"

She said nothing, only fixed him with a dark, Heero-worthy death glare just before punching him in the nose with surprising strength. "Ow!" He barely had time to cry out before she had slammed the door in his face again. "Hilde!" he called through his hands.

From her room he could hear her raging, "I hate you Duo Maxwell! You're such a jerk! I can't believe it! You had me eating right out of your hand! And after the movie and the Chinese and our couch… AND YOU RUINED OUR COUCH AGAIN! And I forgave you! I actually felt _guilty_ for being such a jerk and yelling at you on our anniversary! And you FORGOT OUR ANNIVERSARY!" he heard a roar of rage and again marveled at the lungs on that tiny woman.

Checking his nose for bleeding, he thought, 'Man, now what am I going to do?' Standing outside her bedroom door he couldn't help but wonder how he had gotten himself into this mess. What had he been thinking, forgetting their anniversary? He must've been nuts! Scratching his head as he walked down the hall, he came to the kitchen still deep in thought. What a mess! He'd be lucky is she ever forgave him for this one!

He plopped into a chair at the table with a sigh. How _could_ he have forgotten their anniversary? Sitting there he suddenly remembered about a week ago sitting at the same table with a grin on his face, watching Hilde prepare some steak.

"_Hey, you know what next week is, right?" he asked her._

_She refused to turn and look at him as she said, "What?" He was pretty sure she knew exactly what it was, but he told her anyways. _

"_Our anniversary. It'll be one year exactly on Friday."_

_She still didn't turn, but he could see her blush spreading to her ears as she said, "Oh, yea. I'd nearly forgotten." He could hear her smiling, the way she said the words, and he knew she was only faking nonchalance. _

"_I'm gonna do something so special for you!" he exclaimed._

_She scoffed. "You don't have to butter me up, Duo. I already agreed to make you steak."_

_And then suddenly he was behind her and pulling her around to look at him. Her face betrayed the surprise she felt even through the crimson color spread generously across her cheeks. "That's not it at all. I want to do something special for you because you are special to me."_

_Her blush deepened as she looked up at him, entranced by his eyes. "But Duo, all I really want is you."_

"HA!" he laughed in the present. Yea, girls said that sometimes, but the minute you show up without a present you're so deep in it you can't even see daylight.

Still, he wondered, momentarily sobering from his amusement, how could he have forgotten when he had remembered so easily not all that long ago? And that was without any of Hilde's hints and reminders. How could he have forgotten? Let's see, Hilde had made him steak on Saturday, so that was the weekend, and since then… Since then he'd spent every day (and all day) working in the garage and fixing more things than he cared to remember. Could it really be that stupidly simple? Had work simply driven all happy, romantic thoughts out of his mind to the point where he actually _forgot_? Oh, Hilde wasn't going to like that!

A sudden surge of resentment filled him at that thought. Here he was, working his tail off all day in the shop while Hilde sat around the salvage yard on her cute little butt, and the second he closes up and comes home, dirty and tired, she always finds something to yell at him for. Nothing he did (or didn't do) ever seemed to be enough. All she did was complain about his hair, his dirty clothes, his eating habits, everything! Everything and anything was fair game in Hilde-land. And then he just sat around for the rest of the evening trying to find a way to make it up to her, _always_ having to make it up to her, and what did he get in return? A chaste kiss goodnight and then the same exact routine the very next day. How unfair was that?

Fuming now, he stormed out of the kitchen, unable to settle down in its white, sterile space. Marching across the hall to the darker colored living room, he promptly tripped over the sneakers he'd left in the middle of the room earlier that night, cursing as he banged his knee into the coffee table. He threw himself onto the couch again, nursing his throbbing limb and wounded, righteous ego, thoroughly blaming Hilde for all his problems tonight. What did he care if she _had_ found something else to complain about, another thing that was wrong with him that she could thoroughly resent him for? If it wasn't this there'd surely be something else! If he didn't know any better he'd say that she enjoyed finding things wrong with him. Maybe she did. Maybe her entire goal in this relationship was to just completely change him. If he was so unbearable why was she even in this relationship?

Looking up from his knee, he spotted the little package she had left on the coffee table. It was wrapped in black paper with a small, red ribbon tied around it, his two favorite colors. Gently pushing it to one side with a finger, he lifted the white envelope out from underneath it. It was simple and unassuming with only the one word written across it in thin, black letters. There were only three letters to his name, but they never looked so beautiful as when Hilde wrote them, tracing out each letter carefully, lovingly, giving each one special attention. He could imagine her steady little hand moving in gentle spirals as she reveled in those three, simple letters: Duo.

Suddenly a feeling of enormous guilt filled him, sapping the strength from his anger. He could see Hilde in his mind sitting up late one night, his present freshly wrapped, the bow carefully curled, all next to that simple white envelope upon which she wrote his name, sealing it with a sweet little kiss from her mouth. He could see her fantasizing about romantic surprises he might come up with just as he'd promised, confidant that whatever he did would be so much better than anything she could imagine. He could still see the joy on her face as she brought him his present, the look of love shining in her violet eyes. This day… She had been looking forward to it all week, he knew. And then in his mind he saw her face slowly drop as she realized, as if he'd smacked her with it, that he had forgotten. The pained look in her eyes was as if he'd forgotten her.

Didn't she understand, didn't she know that he spent every moment of the day thinking about her? Didn't she realize how much it killed him knowing how close he was to her, wanting to just drop everything, go over there and kiss her, be with her, talk to her. Sometimes he would suddenly find myself in the hood of a car daydreaming about what she was doing at that exact moment, wondering if she was thinking about him, imagining her doing silly things like drinking her coffee, doing paperwork, walking through the junkyard… And when he was with her, it was like his brain was hyped up on coffee. Every sense, every feeling, was super sensitive. He couldn't even think straight some times his mind was so intoxicated with her presence. And then she would touch him or smile at him…

"Argh!" he growled. Why did women never understand? Guy's were complete idiots when it came to them! Not because they wanted to be or tried to be or enjoyed it. "We just can't help it!" he defended loudly to an empty room.

Duo sighed, leaning back into the couch. "Well, this is getting me nowhere." He decided. He still had no idea what he was going to do. In a situation like this there was only one thing he could think of doing.

Bracing himself for what he was about to do, Duo stood and went to the vid-phone that sat on the desk in the living room. Not bothering to sit, he dialed the number and waited impatiently for several rings. At last the other line picked up and he turned a desperate if pained face to his friend and only life-line in this situation.

"Heero, I need your help."

* * *

Hilde sighed. It had been a very long day and for some reason she hadn't left the yard yet. Only three people had come by the salvage yard and one of them hadn't had a clue. The second guy at least had a few things in mind that he sent Hilde running around to find, but then he just sat there thinking about it and didn't buy a thing. And the last guy to come in was looking to sell. Granted, it was a nice part and he was selling it for cheap, but it was frustrating! She was just glad that yesterday she had been too distracted to take care of a lot of business in the yard so that she could distract herself with it today.

But still, she had been done for about an hour and was confident that no one else was coming today and still she hadn't gone home. Part of her never wanted to go home again. To go back and see Duo again after last night…

She had been furious last night when she realized that he had forgotten. After what he had said last week and then all that time she had spent looking forward to yesterday… And she had taken special care to get a good present for him. But all she kept on seeing was Duo's blank, panicked look as it suddenly dawned on him why she was being so nice. She had been so angry and had raged and stormed around the apartment, but when he'd finally stopped trying to talk to her and she had calmed a bit all that was left was this painful, empty humiliation. Getting herself all worked up over a stupid date on a calendar. Sure, it was a celebration of one of the best days of her life, the day Duo finally decided enough was enough and asked her out, but it was only a day. And obviously it wasn't as important to him as it was to her or else he wouldn't have forgotten. No, it was just a day. A beautiful, wonderful, romantic day that she still loved to replay in her mind late at night, but that was all. It was gone and what did it matter if Duo remembered it a year later.

But it mattered to Hilde.

Resigning herself at last to the fact that no one was coming and she couldn't stay out in the yard all night, she began to close up. The last thing she did was to feed the large German Shepherd Duo had insisted on buying for her protection. He had wanted to name the dog Bruno but she refused, and they settled on Shinigami. He was very sweet to his mistress and highly protective. Wagging his thick tail dangerously fast as she brought the bowl over to him, he kissed her hand as she placed it next to his water bowl. She hadn't wanted him originally but on days like today she was happy for his loving presence.

Locking the gate and heading for the back entrance to the shop, she said a soft, "Goodnight, Shin." before heading into the garage area. She moved slowly, looking around her for a sign of Duo. There was none. It was strange, but normally she could hear noises from the shop all day, especially when she went into the shared office. But today not a sound had come. Walking to the stairs that led up to their apartment she wondered if Duo had even come into the shop at all today. What was he thinking, taking a day off? They couldn't afford that! Maybe if she felt like talking to him later she would tell him off for it.

But as she went up the stairs she started to wonder, should she really punish him like that? Was it really such a crime just because something was more important to her than it was to him? Maybe not, but he had still made a promise and broken it and that was not cool! But the only reason he'd broken it was because it hadn't been that important to him. Their anniversary hadn't mattered…

"Damn!" she muttered, stopping outside the front door. Tears had started to come again. 'Hilde, stop being stupid! Just get a hold of yourself. C'mon, girl, you can do it!' she reasoned with herself. Yes, she could do it. She could walk in there and be perfectly (almost) normal and just let it go. She could be Duo's girlfriend again without hating him for not finding yesterday important. She could do that, but it would hurt.

Finally feeling that she was presentable, she fished out her keys, finding them quickly in her bag, and reached out to unlock the door. But before she could get the key in the door it opened suddenly, surprising her, and she looked up. What she saw before her was even more surprising. Duo stood in the doorway looking nothing like his usual self. He was never what one might call messy, but he had gotten decidedly lazy in the years after the war ended. Coming home from a long day in the shop he never changed immediately, but opted to hang around in his dirty, disheveled work clothes, his braid frazzled from his constant worrying. And even when he did clean up and change he was decidedly casual, having long ago let go of his priest's uniform before it completely fell apart from use. This was not the Duo she usualy came home to.

He wore nice black pants that were unwrinkled and appeared to have been pressed. His shoes were black dress shoes and were very shiny (she didn't know he had shoes like that). Above his belted waist (a belt? He definitely didn't own one of those!) he had on a white dress shirt, unwrinkled and sparklingly white, the top button left undone for that little show of skin and the sleeves rolled back above his elbows. Yet even these things did not seem to have been done with his usual careless abandon, but done carefully and calculatedly. Following her eyes up further she saw his hair had actually been combed and brushed, his bangs groomed and trimmed, and not a single stray hair stuck out from the long braid down his back that seemed to shine and glisten in the light. Even his face looked different, no crack-pot grin spreading oddly and evilly across his face. He was just looking at her with his cobalt blue eyes, his expression calm and soft and something else she couldn't identify. No, this was most definitely not the Duo she had been dating for the past year.

"D-Duo?" was all she could get out. She was too surprised.

Reaching out for her hand, he pulled her gently into their hallway, closing the door behind her. As she came close a new scent reached her nose. Was he wearing cologne?

Looking down at her again, she suddenly realized he hadn't said a word yet. Normally he couldn't shut up the moment she walked in. This had to be a dream! But then his dark blue eyes met her deep violet ones and he leaned in a little closer, the scent of his cologne and shampoo and his own heady Duo smell overpowering her senses, and he brought his face right up to her cheek. His breath feathering her skin and sending chills down her spine, he whispered, "Welcome home, babe." and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.

What the hell was going on?

* * *

AN/ Ok, so not the most dramatic cliffhanger, but I just felt like that was the best spot. And I felt bad leaving you guys hanging, so… Tell me what _you_ think Duo is gonna do! Yea! Oh, and don't forget Inazuma-sama's five star rating system below! Thanks! TTFN!

Edit AN/ Thanks to Inazuma Akai and Chibi Rose Angel for pointing out Duo's OOC. I had misjudged his personality and turned him into a messy pig! How could I? I do not know. But (after a few viewings of GW on DVD) my guilt has finally caught up with me and I fixed his slobby-ness! I hope you like this better! And deepest apologies to poor Duo who has, since posting this, refused to speak to me. I hope he'll forgive me now.

Inazuma Akai's 5 Star Rating System for Fanfiction:

1 star – This fic is unreadable! Get a beta-reader stat!

2 stars – This story needs a face-lift in the worst possible way…

3 stars – Not bad, but with a little more effort you can make it a really good fic.

4 stars – There are some minor errors here and there but otherwise it's a very nice fic!

5 stars – It's an exceptional work of art! More, please?


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